**Table 2.**

*Goats (Capra) - From Ancient to Modern*

**4.2 Breed characterization**

books from [2, 13, 14].

*4.2.1.1 Murciano Granadina (1, pictures 1 and 2)*

*4.2.1 Dairy breeds*

In the second group, 19 breeds are included: 10 that could be considered as dairy

In this chapter we will describe some of the Spanish goat breeds, indicating their geographical origin and main distribution (represented with a number in **Figure 7**), some of their morphological and coat characteristics, and productive qualities. They have been classified according to their main aptitude. Information on breeds has been extracted from research and published sources, articles, and

This breed is in census and geographical distribution. It is the most important goat breed in the country, and has been exported to other European, American, and African countries. In 1975 it was recreated by the union of the Murciana (mahogany colored) and Granadina (black coat) goats, and was associated in 1997. It has typical milk morphology with a fine skeleton, good development of the mammary system,

or mainly dairy aptitude and nine meat or mainly meat aptitude breeds.

**30**

**Figure 7.**

*Geographical distribution of Spanish goat breeds.*

*Carcass weight and tissue composition of some Spanish goat breeds.*

skin, and hair little developed and ears in "V" disposition, existing animals polled and horned. See productive performance in **Tables 1** and **2**. Some comparative studies have demonstrated the high consumer acceptability of this breed, together with others like Moncaina and Blanca Celtiberica [15], qualities that could be partially related to differences in fatty acids [16].

*4.2.1.2 Malagueña (2, pictures 3 and 4)*

Placed mainly in Malaga (in the Andalusia region), the breed, which has Maltese blood, has an important geographical distribution. It has a sandy to red coat and some variability in its morphological characteristics, but with a tendency, in the improved variety, to be similar to the most important world dairy breeds, such as the previous one or the Saanen. Malaga cheese ("Queso de Cabra de Málaga") is one of its more known milk products.

*4.2.1.3 Florida (3, picture 5)*

Situated mainly in Sevilla, in the south of Spain, this breed has its origin in crosses (Nubian blood and autochthonous animals) in the 1920–1930s, having its herd established in 2003. It has a nice red and white speckled coat and, as the previous ones, a milk aptitude morphology.

*4.2.1.4 Majorera (4, pictures 6 and 7)*

This breed is included in the Canary Islands breeds, together with Tinerfeña and Palmera (*Agrupación Caprina Canaria—*ACC in Spanish). The Majorera breed is placed mainly in the east islands, and shows some traces of Nubian and Maltese influence. It often has a pied coat and saber horns, good milk performance destined to make "majorero" cheese, and good rusticity.

*4.2.2 Dual-purpose breeds*

*4.2.2.1 Payoya (5, pictures 8 and 9)*

Payoya is a dairy and meat goat from the mountainous areas of Cadiz (Andalusia). It is well adapted to the extreme humidity and fluctuating temperatures of its local environment. The coat of the breed is very variable: mainly a combination of white, red, black, brown or cream, and it has a large size.

*4.2.2.2 Guadarrama (6, picture 10)*

**33**

*The Goat Sector in Spain: Situation, Local Breeds, and Production Systems*

Placed in the center of the Iberian mountain system, near Madrid, this breed has been influenced by hair breeds. The breed presents four varieties, with a long coat, mainly black or dark with white or clearer face stripes on the lower legs and feet. It is very rustic and known for its good health, prolificacy, and milk product quality,

A comparative carcass composition of some of these breeds is presented in

Placed in the north of Spain, in Basque country, the breed has small numbers with around 1000 heads; its name reflects its red color. It has a medium size, horizontal ears, and short coat, deep red and gleaming black with chestnut face stripes, legs, abdomen, and the underside of the tail. Its main use is for kid meat produc-

This endangered breed with around 2500 animals included in its herd book is placed

in the Cantabrian coast and mountains of the north of Spain, having its herd book registered in 1999. It has a fine, mainly short coat; some animals have pantaloons and a variable intensity red coat (harsher and longer in males) and horizontal ears and arched horns. It is bred mainly for meat but also for milk for local cheeses such as "Cabrales."

*DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.82539*

such as cheese and yoghurt.

*4.2.3.1 Azpi Gorri (7, picture 11)*

tion, though it is also to a certain extent milked.

*4.2.3.2 Bermeya (8, picture 12)*

*4.2.3 Meat breeds*

**Table 2**.

*The Goat Sector in Spain: Situation, Local Breeds, and Production Systems DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.82539*

Placed in the center of the Iberian mountain system, near Madrid, this breed has been influenced by hair breeds. The breed presents four varieties, with a long coat, mainly black or dark with white or clearer face stripes on the lower legs and feet. It is very rustic and known for its good health, prolificacy, and milk product quality, such as cheese and yoghurt.
